Governor Hochul Announces SBA Assistance for New Yorkers Impacted by September Flooding

By Hamodia Staff

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced today the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will offer federal assistance to New Yorkers in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties which were impacted by heavy rains and flooding in September.

More than eight inches of rain fell in Brooklyn, and six inches of rain fell in Manhattan and parts of Nassau and Westchester counties during the historic September rainfall. Governor Hochul declared a State of Emergency for all of New York City, Long Island and the Mid-Hudson Region on September 29, as heavy rain impacted the downstate region.

Residents and businesses in these locations are eligible to apply for low-interest federal loans to aid in their recovery following historic rainfall and flooding.

The governor requested these loans from the SBA in late November, along with her request that President Biden declare them a major disaster area, which remains under consideration.

“The historic September rainfall adversely affected not only residents, but also businesses, across Brooklyn and Nassau County,” Governor Hochul said.“These low-interest loans will help alleviate the impacts of the flooding, and I am committed to securing as much federal aid as possible to all areas of our state disaffected by extreme weather events.”

Homeowners may apply for loans up to $500,000 to repair their primary residence,  and both homeowners and renters may apply for loans up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property.

Business owners may apply for up to $2,000,000 for the replacement of real property, inventories, machinery, equipment, and other physical losses. In addition, businesses and non-profits can apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2,000,000 to provide necessary working capital until normal operations resume after a disaster.

The SBA will open Disaster Loan Outreach Centers until December 22 to help New Yorkers apply in-person for assistance. The United Jewish Organizations (UJO), located at 32 Penn Street in Williamsburg, is designated as one of these centers, and is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Another center, located near Boro Park, will be opened at Health Essentials, located at 2336 86th Street in Brooklyn. This located will be open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and will be closed on Sunday.

Applications for disaster loans may be submitted online using the MySBA Loan Portal at lending.sba.gov. or by calling the Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955, or via email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is February 2, 2024. The deadline to return economic injury applications is September 4, 2024.